Crackdown on illegal lottery operators in city

Nikhil Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, May 16

In a major crackdown on illegal lottery operators in the city, the police registered 25 FIRs and arrested 27 persons on Tuesday. The crackdown followed increasing complaints of flourishing illegal lottery business in the city.

The police are also investigating as to if any policemen connived with the illegal lottery operators. Sources said the lottery operators’ mobile phones would be seized to find policemen’s links with them.

Additional DCP Gurpreet Singh Sikand, who carried out the special raids by directing the various police stations falling in his jurisdiction, said secret information was received that illegal lottery trade was being run with immunity. Special teams of the respective police stations were formed that carried out simultaneous raids in the city. “We will continue raids on the other illegal lottery operators too. The police will not let such illegal trades flourish in the city. The heads of the police stations that fall in my jurisdiction have been clearly told to carry on with the crackdown,” said Sikand.

Illegal lottery shops still running in some areas

Illegal lottery shops were still found open in areas, such as Ganesh Nagar and Vijay Nagar, which falls in the the jurisdiction of Police Division No. 3. The SHO concerned, Kamaldeep Singh, said whosoever was found running illegal lottery would face an FIR.